I love 1 Thess 5:16-18. How often do I wonder what God’s will is for me…it lays it out here so clearly! Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in ALL circumstances. This is Gods will. Praying at all times has been a struggle for me. I have a regular prayer time but then get up and start my day and often find I haven’t prayed all day. Anyone have any tips or things they do to never stop praying?
I also loved 2 Thess 1:11 “may he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” First, what is my faith prompting me to do? Secondly, am I doing that thing in my own power or in God’s power? Thirdly, am I doing it at all? Sometimes I feel a prompting but disregard it and never go forward. Look to God for his power to accomplish all He prompts me to do.
Haneg20, your desire to pray without ceasing is lovely and will take you far. Once someone told me, when you first try to pray without ceasing, you may need little reminders. For example, stop and pray every time you see a doorknob or every time you pass a mirror. Another one was to put sticky note reminders in places throughout your day. All of these are just little helpful hints to bring your awareness back to God, back to your continuous conversation with him. People talk a lot about mindfulness now, about bringing your mind to where your body is. For me, Mindfulness is also an awareness of the Divine within me or being in touch with my spiritual self, who is the real me. As I became more aware of the Holy Spirit within me, it became more natural to remain in a prayerful attitude. Oh I definitely still falter, but it has become easier. Wow I didn’t mean to ramble on so long, but hope these ideas are helpful. I’m wishing you well!
Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement!! I will put it into practice!!!
My Takeaways: Thanksgiving: A time to be joyful and prayful
Something Old: Thanksgiving is here – what better time to reflect back on being thankful for all circumstances then during this season. This made me thing of a poem I heard sometime ago, so I’m sharing it with you today.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.
BE THANKFUL
~ Author Unknown
Gratitude can change my life. It helps me to shift from negative thinking to positive thinking. I have to keep my thoughts around the thankful button.
Something New: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This verse popped right out into my lap today.God wants me to always be joyful in my successes and failures because He has given me hope. Because He lives. Because I belong to him and He is making all things new. Never stop praying sounds like work, doesn’t it?
Prayer is a part of my relationship
with God. It’s my on going conversation with him. I think God wants my prayer life with him to be like the time I enjoy with my loved ones. When I spend time with my loved ones-sometimes we talk, sometimes we do things together and often we just experience life together. That’s what it’s like to never stop praying. Praying continually is talking and listening to God throughout my day. And setting aside specific times to have those purposeful conversations. God is always with me. It’s up to me to engage with him and to pray continually. Conversing with God is on going. It might look something like this. I wake up thankful for a new day. I get in my car to go to work; select some worship music for my drive and ask God to guide me through my day as I worship him. I think about my students and the time I’ll spend with them today asking God for guidance and wisdom and patience as I teach them what they need to know to live in this life. My thoughts are interrupted by a call from someone needing advice so I pause and ask God to give me HIS thoughts and words. I pass the begger on the street and pray protection for him. While going home after a busy day I stop by the doctors office. While waiting to be called back I open the Bible app on my phone and read a few verses. My day continues in this manner and I wondered if I could ever never stop praying and still meet the everyday needs that surround me. I have to choose to walk along side with God throughout the day in the same way I would choose to spend time with my loved ones. It’s not impossible to never stop praying when I realize God is constant, never changing, always present. All I have to do is start up the conversation.
Sorry for the long post today, but 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 really spoke to my heart.
Something To Do: Be joyful, pray always and count my many blessings.
LKennedy, Thanks for sharing your heart with us. The poem reminds me of my mom telling me to be thankful for dishes that needed washing. They meant I had plenty to eat.
I, too, loved 1 Thessalonians 16-18. Sometimes I really have to work at being joyful and thankful in ALL circumstances, but I love knowing that this is God’s will for us. My goal is to live into that joy each day.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the RTW family!
I love 1 Thess 5:16-18. How often do I wonder what God’s will is for me…it lays it out here so clearly! Always be joyful, never stop praying, be thankful in ALL circumstances. This is Gods will. Praying at all times has been a struggle for me. I have a regular prayer time but then get up and start my day and often find I haven’t prayed all day. Anyone have any tips or things they do to never stop praying?
I also loved 2 Thess 1:11 “may he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.” First, what is my faith prompting me to do? Secondly, am I doing that thing in my own power or in God’s power? Thirdly, am I doing it at all? Sometimes I feel a prompting but disregard it and never go forward. Look to God for his power to accomplish all He prompts me to do.
Haneg20, your desire to pray without ceasing is lovely and will take you far. Once someone told me, when you first try to pray without ceasing, you may need little reminders. For example, stop and pray every time you see a doorknob or every time you pass a mirror. Another one was to put sticky note reminders in places throughout your day. All of these are just little helpful hints to bring your awareness back to God, back to your continuous conversation with him. People talk a lot about mindfulness now, about bringing your mind to where your body is. For me, Mindfulness is also an awareness of the Divine within me or being in touch with my spiritual self, who is the real me. As I became more aware of the Holy Spirit within me, it became more natural to remain in a prayerful attitude. Oh I definitely still falter, but it has become easier. Wow I didn’t mean to ramble on so long, but hope these ideas are helpful. I’m wishing you well!
Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement!! I will put it into practice!!!
My Takeaways: Thanksgiving: A time to be joyful and prayful
Something Old: Thanksgiving is here – what better time to reflect back on being thankful for all circumstances then during this season. This made me thing of a poem I heard sometime ago, so I’m sharing it with you today.
Be Thankful
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference.
It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.
BE THANKFUL
~ Author Unknown
Gratitude can change my life. It helps me to shift from negative thinking to positive thinking. I have to keep my thoughts around the thankful button.
Something New: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This verse popped right out into my lap today.God wants me to always be joyful in my successes and failures because He has given me hope. Because He lives. Because I belong to him and He is making all things new. Never stop praying sounds like work, doesn’t it?
Prayer is a part of my relationship
with God. It’s my on going conversation with him. I think God wants my prayer life with him to be like the time I enjoy with my loved ones. When I spend time with my loved ones-sometimes we talk, sometimes we do things together and often we just experience life together. That’s what it’s like to never stop praying. Praying continually is talking and listening to God throughout my day. And setting aside specific times to have those purposeful conversations. God is always with me. It’s up to me to engage with him and to pray continually. Conversing with God is on going. It might look something like this. I wake up thankful for a new day. I get in my car to go to work; select some worship music for my drive and ask God to guide me through my day as I worship him. I think about my students and the time I’ll spend with them today asking God for guidance and wisdom and patience as I teach them what they need to know to live in this life. My thoughts are interrupted by a call from someone needing advice so I pause and ask God to give me HIS thoughts and words. I pass the begger on the street and pray protection for him. While going home after a busy day I stop by the doctors office. While waiting to be called back I open the Bible app on my phone and read a few verses. My day continues in this manner and I wondered if I could ever never stop praying and still meet the everyday needs that surround me. I have to choose to walk along side with God throughout the day in the same way I would choose to spend time with my loved ones. It’s not impossible to never stop praying when I realize God is constant, never changing, always present. All I have to do is start up the conversation.
Sorry for the long post today, but 2 Thessalonians 5:16-18 really spoke to my heart.
Something To Do: Be joyful, pray always and count my many blessings.
LKennedy, Thanks for sharing your heart with us. The poem reminds me of my mom telling me to be thankful for dishes that needed washing. They meant I had plenty to eat.
I, too, loved 1 Thessalonians 16-18. Sometimes I really have to work at being joyful and thankful in ALL circumstances, but I love knowing that this is God’s will for us. My goal is to live into that joy each day.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and all the RTW family!
Thank you for sharing that poem!